Walking the talk: is your library a marketing oriented organisation?

Libraries are increasingly vocal about the need to adopt strategic marketing management which is the process of creating and facilitating the exchange of products of value with others. However, the largest proportion of library and information science literature on marketing deals promotion and public relations which is only a small part of the marketing mix. There seems to have been a fragmented application of marketing principles in the management and operation of libraries because they have lacked strategies to translate the marketing management into their functional management. The concept of market orientation provides a framework for applying marketing principles into library management and operations. Market orientation means the customer is the focal point of all organisational goals and integrates structure, management and operations. Four elements under pin market orientation: Client orientation – satisfy customer wants and needs Continuous market research – know your client and their wants and behaviours Integrate all activities and systems –from management to front line staff everyone share information and same client focus Client relationship management – a repeat customer is an advertisement for others and sustains your business position In a market oriented organisation, marketing isn’t pushed off to one side as promotion or public relations. Marketing orientation is an organisational management style. Using the 7 P’s of service marketing (product, place, price, processes, people and promotion) this paper examines how QUT Library has translated strategic market management into applied management strategies by cultivating a market orientation